Page 48 of Two Minutes for Holding

“I’ve never been treated this way before.”

“What way?” he questioned, rubbing my shoulder as he pulled me a little closer.

“Spending the night without being expected to…”

I could feel his body tense. He rolled up onto his arm, and I could see him looking down at me.

“Peyton, I’m so sorry that has been what you’ve gotten to think is acceptable,” he said, looking down into my eyes. “Please, from now on, I want you to remember that part of your life isover. If there is ever anything you don’t want to do in any aspect of our relationship, especially in this bedroom, there will never be questions asked.

“As for tonight, this is what I want right now. I need this, and I think this is what you need as well. You need to know that I am here for you, and I want to let you know I am here for you without the confusion of adding sex to it. Sex complicates things, and it’s not the way I want to deal with our situation. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to either, so before you get too far into your own head and start thinking that I am not interested, know I am interested.”

I couldn’t help it as more tears slid down my cheeks as he pressed his lips to mine in the most tender kiss I’d ever experienced in my life. Somehow, I knew without a doubt in my heart that Clay meant every word he’d said, and the moment he wrapped his arms around me, I knew this was where I wanted to be, regardless of the flack I was sure would come our way.

Chapter 15

Clay - Wednesday

“Any news yet?” Dylan asked, sitting down on the bench next to me while we both took a break after completing our drills.

I glanced down at my phone and shook my head as we watched the rest of the guys on the team still going.

Peyton had been back in Vermont for a few days now, and I knew that today was the day she had her doctor’s appointment. In fact, she was probably in the office right now, I thought to myself, noticing the time.

“Not yet, but she told me she’d message me right away once the appointment was over.”

“How did the other night go?” Dylan questioned, squirting water into his mouth.

Dylan and I had talked in the car the other night when he’d driven me home after the game. He was going to come in, have some food, and talk a little more about how I should go about breaking the news to Knox. I firmly believed I should be the one to tell him. As I’d told Peyton, I’d take his hits, I’d take his words, and then I’d prove to him I was there for her. Sheshouldn’t be the one to shoulder the brunt of that. Dylan had apparently devised a plan, but then we’d found Peyton in the hall, so he’d left. I had mentioned nothing about how things had gone between the two of us.

“Went well. I made sure I let her know I wanted to be part of things. Then she spent the night at my place. I am worried though. I’m not sure what sort of guys she’s been with, but it bothered me she was more nervous just to lie in my arms than she was the first time we’d slept together. She admitted to me she wasn’t used to being with someone in that capacity, where they didn’t want sex. Makes me wonder if Knox even knows the type of guys she’s been with.”

“Probably not, or maybe he does. I can’t say. All I know is that he’s fought with her frequently to get her away from the ones she’d been dating. Which makes me think he knows the truth about how she’d been being treated. Although I’d have thought that these guys would be a little worse for wear.”

“No doubt.”

Dylan cleared his throat just as the guys came off the ice, all piling into the area. I glanced at my phone again, anticipation building inside of me.

“Harris, what the hell is so important?” Coach Thompkins questioned, as he stood in front of us, prepared to give us one of his usual lectures. “You haven’t stopped looking at that damn thing all morning, which is why they aren’t supposed to be at practice.”

The guys all turned and looked in my direction. They all waited as I shifted on the bench, the conversation I’d started the other night surely in the forefront of their minds.

“Just hypothetically speaking, of course,” Colton said, causing them all to chuckle.

“Sorry, coach, I’m just waiting for some news.”

“What sort of news?” Levi questioned. “Hypothetical news or actual news?”

Each one of them was now watching me, trying not to laugh as I glanced at them, then cleared my throat again before taking a drink of water.

“I’m waiting to find out if I’m going to be a father,” I muttered.

It was then I felt a pat on the shoulder and looked up to see Knox standing behind me.

“Congratulations, man. I did not know. I mean, after the conversation the other night, I’ll admit I was wondering, but seriously, that’s fantastic. Who’s the lucky lady?”

All the guys looked at me, waiting for me to answer. Instead, I just shrugged.

“I’m going to wait to announce that once I know for a fact that it’s happening.”

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